Street art from 'les tags' to much better

If you walk around Paris, wherever you look you will always find 'tags'. Everywhere. On bus shelters, post boxes, roller shutters, these signature graffiti are the young persons hobby.

Bof.

Of course there is also much more interesting street art to be seen. One artist that the kids particularly love is Gregos, who's plaster cast faces can be found adorning many walls around our neighbourhood.

And then you find the work of PITR. I like these a lot. PITR's artwork appears on walls all round Montmartre, stenciled images that appear one day and are painted over the next. I can't find any precise information about PITR. One source I looked at said that apparently there are two Pitrs.

Another well recognised graffiti artist  the invader mosaic artist. 

And more recent mosaics by Jérôme Gulon

All around the neighbourhood are other pieces of artwork which are unsigned. I particularly like this deer. It has been there for ages and looks like it is here to stay. Well, until it peels off completely.

More photos of street art can be seen on my Flickr account 

Autumn blues, or is that reds?

Last Thursday, the 23rd September was the 1st day of autumn. The few days leading up to this day my children would come up to me, with a glint in their eyes "did you know Mama, autumn starts on Thursday?"

I love summer. During heat waves while others are sweating damply, hot red faces, unable to move without grumbling, I glide around, at ease. Winter is another story altogether. Between October and May March I look like this.

Autumn for me, is the first step towards winter. I'm trying to focus on the positive aspects of autumn this year, and the obvious starting point for me is the red leaves you see every where.

I'm pleased to note that while green leaves are going red, new leaves are still growing.

And I'm keeping a close eye on my friend the long haired hippy, who is getting more handsome by the day.

Curled railings, shadows and the Sacré Cœur

The incredible weather we've been having lately has enticed me to go for more post-school-drop-off strolls than I would normally indulge in. This means I can be up by the Sacré Cœur early, while the sun is still low and the crowds have not yet arrived. Let's face it, the Sacré Cœur is not popular for nothing.

While taking photos of the Church my attention was diverted by some railings that enclose the rear of the Sacré Cœur. The sun reflected off them and cast extravagant shadows. What I didn't notice until I got home and looked at the photos on my computer was the small green grass hopper hiding in one of the metal curls.

 

And finally I saw this, to me this shadow looked like it had been painted on the wall.

Rather like this...

Curled railings slideshow can be found here 

Ouiet neighbours

We have quiet neighbours. Just opposite our front door is the wall of the Cimetière de Montmartre. However, to get IN to the cemetery involves a hike down the hill to the one and only entrance which is on a small road that comes off Boulevard de Clichy. I went there the other morning on the hunt for conkers. I found plenty of them but my attention ended up being drawn by the beautiful patina decay of the metal work on many of the tomb stones. Not to mention the stain glass.

Oh, and I also followed a cat!

Slide-show of more patina photos can be found here 

Catching the sun

Yesterday I was walking down rue Caulaincourt in the early evening. The sun was bright, but low. All the blocks of apartments on the east side of rue Caulaincourt just north of Place de Clichy have the same elaborate balconies that I've never really paid attention to before. Yesterday when the sun reflected off the intricate metal work, I hardly noticed anything else.

Looking up and Looking down

Sometime I walk around Paris and look up. There's always a lot to see.

Sometimes I walk around Paris looking down. Even looking down there are beautiful things to see, you just have to look harder.

Conkers

'Tis the start of the conker season, and undeniably autumn is on its' way *sigh*